Southampton’s stay in the English Premier League could end after a spell of 11 seasons due to their struggles in the 2022–23 season. The Saints have been a mid-table team since their promotion in the 2012-13 season. However, a poor first half of the 2022–23 campaign has made them relegation battlers. They are last in the league table, with three wins and three draws in 18 matches. One positive for the Saints is that the other teams are not way ahead of them, and they might be able to catch them with 18 games remaining. Southampton have already taken a step to avoid relegation by signing a Croatian winger who made a name for himself at Dinamo Zagreb. Mislav Orsic was an important part of Zagreb’s setup, and his performances earned him a move to one of the biggest leagues in the world. We now look at some of the stats that show why Orsic earned a move to the Saints and how he could play a crucial role in ensuring safety in the English top division.
Mislav Orsic joined Dinamo Zagreb in 2018 and has won four league titles with the club. The Croatian international came into the limelight after he scored a winner against Chelsea in the first match of the UEFA Champions League 2022/23. The above viz shows the percentile rank of the left winger in comparison to other wingers in the Croatian top division. The 30-year-old has made 15 appearances for his side, with four coming off the bench. He has scored eight goals and has seven assists to his name. The above viz shows that the winger has a high percentile rank in almost every department in the possession and attacking department. He was the top performer for the side that is leading their domestic league this season.
A threat from the left-wing
Mislav Orsic plays on the left side of the wing. The above viz shows the wing actions of the player in the HNL league. He made 15 goal contributions in the league. The winger makes 3.37 dribbles with a 51.4% success rate. He also crosses the ball 3.46 times per 90 minutes in the league and delivers 42.1% of them. He has three assists from these crosses.
Mislav Orsic’s performances in the UEFA Champions League caught the eye of many clubs. The dynamic winger scored five goals in 12 matches, which included the qualifiers as well. In the group stage, he scored a famous winner against Chelsea in the first round. In the UCL, he delivered 2.36 crosses and made 3.68 dribbles, where he enjoyed a good success rate of 66.67%. The above viz shows that Orsic is a good dribbler and usually wins his dribbles inside and near the penalty box. The Saints lack quality from the wings and will be hoping that the player makes an impact for them.
A goal-scoring winger
The 30-year-old is known for his goal-scoring threat. Southampton have struggled to score this season and only have 15 goals in 18 matches played. Mislav Orsic scored eight goals in the Croatia HNL. He averaged 4.37 shots per 90 minutes and had an accuracy rate of 45.8%. The shot map shows that more than 80% of the shots have been attempted from the left side. He is also not afraid of taking long shots and has taken a few from outside the box.
In the UEFA Champions League 2022/23 campaign, he scored five goals in 14 matches. The player averaged 2.54 shots per 90 minutes and had an accuracy rate of 29.6%. The shot map is a bit similar to his league’s shot map. Orsic will be hoping to get on the scoresheet for the Saints and hope that he could carry them out of the relegation zone.
Betting Analysis
The 1×2 odds for Southampton will be impacted by the signing of this key player. Southampton can still chase the teams ranked above them and have a good squad. The market would expect them to get the results, and the odds could get lower. His addition also increases the chances of scoring goals. Therefore, the over lines could see a decrease, while the under lines could see a bit of an increase.
Mislav Orsic’s signing is one of the biggest signings for the Saints in their battle for survival. They are ranked at the bottom and will hope that their team gets into winning ways. Orsic will carry the threat from the left wing, and there are chances that he might feature in every match until the end of the season. He would also like to make an impact in the English Premier League.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
